Health Care Has A Relapse
Costs are soaring. States are struggling. People are losing their coverage. Has Washington even noticed?

John Q.: How Real Is This Horror Story?
The Hollywood version


The Man Behind the Plan
With a Middle East peace initiative, Crown Prince Abdullah rolls out a new, assertive Saudi style

How Europeans Can Be Useful (Global Agenda)
Instead of slamming America, they should give the rest of the world a boost

How I Bought Two Slaves, to Free Them (Letter From Thailand)
A journalist gets caught up in a story in which happy endings are hard to find

Put It Back in the Drawer (Viewpoint)
The Saudi "peace plan" is just smoke and mirrors--and brilliant p.r.

In the Heart of Hate
A TIME reporter visits a town at the center of India's killing frenzy between Muslims and Hindus


Change Of Heart (Medicine)
In a surgical first, doctors fixed a deadly heart valve defect in a 23-week-old fetus. Here's how they did it

Darwinian Struggle (Ideas)
Is there a place in evolutionary theory for the hand of God? Maybe in Ohio. Hearings start this month

Dying to Have a Family (Essay)
Genetic screening guaranteed a healthy baby. Did Mom make the right choice?

Hunting Made Easy (Nature)
Shooting captive animals to mount their heads on a wall is a booming sport. Should Congress step in?

Meet The Chipsons (Technology)
Jeffrey, Leslie and their boy Derek will be America's first cyborg family. Are you ready to "Get Chipped"?

Faith in Their Father? (Society)
A TIME journalist goes home to witness a priest testing his parish's loyalty

Sneakers? Not. (TIME Bonus Section/Inside Business/Fashion)
Fashion adds new bounce to the market for athletic footwear

The Asbestos Pit (TIME Bonus Section/Inside Business/Litigation)
An old issue is back, and the lawsuits are killing shares

Generation Hex? (TIME Bonus Section/Inside Business/Management)
A new book identifies four age groups warring at work

Gold's New Rush (TIME Bonus Section/Inside Business/Retail)
He's the man behind the furniture we live with. Now Mitchell Gold wants to set a new standard all his own


Within Crumbling Walls (The Arts/Television)
A twist of fate yields an unprecedented look inside the World Trade Center during its last minutes

Can the Real Robin Still Stand Up? (The Arts/Show Business)
Robin Williams got hooked on sappy roles. Now he's getting help, by doing improv and acting out

Honey, I Shrunk My Presidency
The Bubba of Primary Colors gets a measure of respect in the nonfiction version


When Little Kids Take Big Tests (Personal Time/Your Family)
Sure, you want your child to get into a good college. But does that mean 9-year-olds should be taking SATs?

In Brief (Personal Time/Your Family)

Is Your Doctor Too Drowsy? (Personal Time/Your Health)
Legislators are raising alarms about sleep-deprived surgeons--and if you're concerned, so should you

Your Health (Personal Time/Your Health)

The Out-of-the-Box Gourmet (Personal Time/Your Technology)
Two tasty websites serve up savory meals you can prepare at home in minutes. But is great grub worth it?

In Brief (Personal Time/Your Technology)